Kathleen M. Harrington, 87, of Salem, died peacefully at home on September 12.  She was the beloved and devoted wife of the late Kevin B. Harrington, with whom she shared 53 years of marriage.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was the sixth of seven children of the late Joseph E. and Catherine M. (Hanley) Carney.  Due to the requirements of her father's job, she and her family moved frequently in her early years, living in Chicago, Dayton and Toledo, Ohio, and finally settling in St. Louis, Missouri.

It was there in 1951, as a freshman at St. Louis University, that Kathy met Kevin, the love of her life, who had come to the Midwest on a basketball scholarship.  They both graduated in 1954 and were married the next year before heading east to his hometown of Salem to settle down and raise their family.

Her husband was soon elected to the Salem City Council and then to the Mass. State Senate, where he served for 20 years.  Kathy was proud of his achievements, but she also realized, having been blessed with four of her five children by 1962, that it was difficult for the family to make ends meet on a legislator's salary.  She began supplementing her husband's income by working part-time as a substitute teacher at Salem High School and as a Bell Telephone switchboard operator in downtown Salem.

She was then introduced to the real estate business by the late Marie Goggin.  Her outgoing personality and financial acumen allowed her to thrive as a salesperson and broker, and when Marie passed away at a young age, she started and ran her own successful real estate firm for many years.

Although the rest of her family remained in the Midwest and she missed them terribly, over time Kathy grew to love New England, and especially living on the North Shore near the ocean.  She soon developed a coterie of friends with whom she went boating and played tennis and golf for many years.

Above all, however, Kathy was devoted to the two pillars of her life: her family and her faith.  She was inseparable from her husband and cherished her children, and spent her happiest times hosting family gatherings at her home in South Salem.  She also developed enduring bonds with her twelve grandchildren, and was blessed in recent years with the birth of two great-grandchildren.

Kathy was a devout Catholic who was involved in many parish activities over the years at Immaculate Conception church, including teaching religious education (CCD), and was later a dedicated communicant at St. Anne's.  She was also a member of the St. William's Guild while her sons attended St. John's Prep.  She lived her faith, supporting numerous charitable organizations, and volunteering to help physically handicapped children with their disabilities.

She also served as a Eucharistic minister, bringing Holy Communion to those who could not attend Mass, was a dedicated teacher in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program, contributed to the support of many Catholic schools, and was an active participant in local Bible studies classes.

She is survived by two sons and three daughters: Neil J. and his wife, Sarah, of Salem; Kevin B., Jr. of Falmouth; Ann M. and her husband, Eric Hundahl, of Salem; Maureen F. of Kittery Point, Maine; and Joan M. and her husband, Thomas O'Hare, of Salem.  She also leaves one dear sister, Maureen Carney of Centerville, Ohio, her brother-in-law, Joseph Connolly, of St. Louis, and her sister-in-law, Barbara Carney of Las Vegas, Nevada.  She was predeceased by three sisters: Virginia Smith, Jean Early, and Eileen Connolly; and two brothers, the Rev. James Carney, a missionary in Honduras, and John Patrick Carney.

In addition, Kathy will be deeply missed by her twelve grandchildren: Sarah M. (Ben) Goodhue of Beverly, Grace A. (Daniel) Napolitano of Salem, Maeve K. and Hugh M. Harrington of Salem; Lauren (Jake) Ruder of Holden, Lindsay Harrington of Boston, Kevin B. Harrington III of Chicago, and Robert Harrington of Worcester, and their mother, Linda; and Thomas, Molly, Charles and Caroline O'Hare of Salem.   She was also the great-grandmother of Margaret Goodhue of Beverly and John Napolitano of Salem, and the loving aunt of 34 nieces and nephews.

The Harrington family asks their relatives and friends to pray for the repose of Kathy's soul, particularly by attendance at Mass and the recitation of the rosary.

In keeping with the wishes of the deceased, there will be no visiting hours.  A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception Church, 15 Hawthorne Boulevard, Salem, at 10:00 AM on Friday, September 20.  Relatives and friends are respectfully invited.  Interment will be private and will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in Salem.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bishop Fenwick High School, c/o Development Office, 99 Margin Street, Peabody, MA  01960. For more information or online guestbook please call Murphy Funeral Home, 85 Federal Street. Salem, at 978-744-0497 or visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com.